This change has been announced in the form of a "federal decree-law" for the approval of the civil transactions law and, in addition, strengthens the rights of young people in managing their personal financial affairs.

According to the new law, the legal age of adulthood is reduced from 21 lunar years (Hijri) to 18 Gregorian years. The UAE government has stated that this action is being taken with the following objectives:

* Standardizing the legal age of full capacity
* Creating alignment with other laws including youth laws and labor law
* Aligning the standards of civil and criminal responsibility

Individuals aged 18 already have the right to marry, full-time employment, and driving; however, this new law may imply that some other rights, such as the legal drinking age, may also be reduced to 18.

Additionally, the permissible age for managing financial assets by minors has been reduced from 18 lunar years to 15 Gregorian years.

The UAE government has announced that this change will support entrepreneurship and increase youth participation in economic activities.

Lunar ages in the UAE are calculated based on the Islamic Hijri calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle; whereas the Gregorian calendar, which has wider application, is based on the solar cycle.

Considering that lunar years are approximately 10 to 12 days shorter than Gregorian years, the previous law effectively included individuals with an approximate age of 20 and a half Gregorian years.

The new law is considered the largest federal law in the United Arab Emirates and establishes a general framework and fundamental principles governing legal acts and contracts among members of society.

Furthermore, the UAE has introduced new regulations to strengthen legal capacity and protect the free will of individuals while simultaneously updating the rules regarding legal acts and contracts.

This law also includes provisions for organizing pre-contract negotiations, requiring parties to disclose essential information so that informed contractual decisions can be made, trust between parties can be increased, and judicial disputes can be reduced.